October Meeting 2026 London Stadium

LVON’s 4th meeting took place on Thursday 1st October at the iconic London Stadium, bringing together operational teams from stadium and event operators across London for another valuable afternoon of networking, shared learning and open discussion.

A huge thank you to the London Stadium team for hosting us and providing a fascinating behind-the-scenes tour of the venue and its facilities.

One of the highlights was hearing more about the stadium’s sustainability initiatives, including the solar panels installed in August 2025. The system has recently passed the milestone of generating 100,000 kWh of electricity - now contributing around 10% of the stadium’s operational electricity requirements. A fantastic achievement and a great example of the practical steps venues are taking towards more sustainable operations.

As always, the strength of LVON lies in bringing operational teams together to talk openly about the realities of running major venues and events.

Throughout the session, members shared ideas, successes and challenges from their own organisations. What quickly became apparent was just how many common experiences exist across different venues. Whether discussing operational pressures, customer expectations or changing audience behaviours, there was plenty of reassurance - and inspiration - to be found in learning how others are approaching similar challenges.

Our hot topic for this meeting was Fan Experience, which sparked a lively and wide-ranging discussion.

The conversation explored what the fan experience really means beyond the price of a ticket. How are audience expectations changing? What differences exist between different types of sporting events and audiences? How should venues adapt their offer as the profile of attendees evolves?

There was particularly interesting discussion around the differing experiences surrounding male and female sporting events, as well as the increasing importance of creating welcoming, family-friendly environments.

Changing consumer habits also featured heavily, including the decline in alcohol consumption amongst some audiences and what this might mean for the future venue experience. This opened up plenty of ideas around alternative entertainment, activities and attractions that can enhance a visit and give fans more reasons to arrive early, stay longer and engage with the venue.